Uganda Child Spacing Program

An average Ugandan woman will have six children in her lifetime. A lack of knowledge about and access to family planning services contributes to this high fertility, which leads to high rates of maternal and infant mortality. There is a high-unmet need for family planning in Uganda. Through Advancing Partners & Communities (APC), WellShare’s Advancing Community-based Access to Injectable Contraceptives in Uganda project worked to scale up access to both intramuscular and subcutaneous injectables in eastern Uganda (Iganga and Kumi Districts). In 2014, a new cascade model of training was developed in partnership with the two District Health Teams, 10 District Health Team staff were trained as master trainers, and 30 health center staff and 161 Village Health Team members (VHTs) were trained to provide comprehensive community-based family planning. These district staff and volunteers supported activities in 2015.

Activities

During 2015, six two-day Sayana Press trainings for 86 VHTs were conducted, 6 district work planning meetings were attended, 8 district-based on-the-ground support supervisions were conducted, 11 quarterly VHTs and health center staff review meetings were conducted, 6 Family Planning Implementation Team (FPIT) meetings were conducted, 7 client satisfaction surveys with 60 clients were carried out (20 clients in Kumi and 40 clients in Iganga), 18 national-level meetings, including: a Reproductive Maternal Neo-Natal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) stakeholders meeting, 5 Family Planning Working Group meetings, 4 Maternal and Child Health cluster meetings, and 8 other related Reproductive Health/Family Planning meetings attended, couple years of protection (CYP) data for four quarters was collected, 2 technical assistance meetings were held by the donor in country, and a structured learning visit was carried out for The Salvation Army in Iganga District. WellShare hosted the Advancing Partners and Communities Executive Director for a site visit in May 2015. In collaboration with the FHI360 Obalamu campaign, 450 VHTs and 18 DHTs were trained in two districts. The WellShare Program Manager conducted 30 key informant interviews in the 4th Quarter to document the Cascade Training Model. WellShare presented program findings at one National Adolescent Reproductive Health Conference in July 2015 and shared results of the emergency contraceptive pills assessment during one Maternal and Child Health Cluster meeting at the Uganda Ministry of Health in September 2015. WellShare supported the districts by distributing 1,500 moon beads and re-stocked health facilities with buffer stocks of Sayana Press, microgynon and condoms through the Alternative Distribution Strategy (via Uganda Health Marketing